Finally moving again

"Get out!" the boy yelled, and before Adrian and Emilie could fully grasp what was occurring, they found themselves outside of the tower. 

As they stepped out of the tower, a sense of powerlessness engulfed their bodies. The illusion of strength they had previously felt had evaporated. Adrian quickly turned to Emilie to confirm if she had experienced the same, but an urge to laugh coursed through him when he noticed that her face was no longer at the same height as his own.

"I seem to have lost some height. I'm actually considering staying in this tower now," Emilie remarked, her tone carrying a hint of seriousness that left Adrian wondering about her peculiar predicament.

Upon hearing Emilie's comment, Adrian couldn't hold back his laughter. "You can easily regain your height by just imagining it. There's no need to stay inside the tower," he responded with a chuckle.

Emilie came to the same realization after Adrian pointed it out, but she knew she wouldn't be able to regain her height since she had no energy left in her cores. As she peered within her body, she saw her same two cores, reminding her of her current limitations.

"Two cores? Adrian, I have two actual cores now, even if they're empty for the moment?" Adrian was taken aback by the revelation. This realization made him reconsider the value of the tower, realizing that it might not be as useless as he initially believed.

"That's all well and good, but what was his deal? Why did he kick us out so abruptly? Did he get spooked by the Mother Moon too?" Adrian mused aloud, gazing at Emilie for an answer. She simply shrugged, equally clueless about the boy's sudden actions.

Adrian pulled out the compass, "Well, that was fun while it lasted," and examined it to confirm that it was still working perfectly.

"Should we start heading to where we were originally going?" Adrian inquired as he began to walk back in the direction of the jeep they had borrowed from the city. Emilie followed suit, and they prepared to continue their journey.

As Adrian settled into the jeep, a question nagged at him, "Isn't it strange that we haven't encountered a single person? Do people no longer dream about each other?" He couldn't help but ponder the apparent absence of other humans on their journey.

Emilie, considering Adrian's question, also found it peculiar. During her previous visits to the dream realm, she had encountered people who behaved in a typical dream-like fashion, adhering to expected dream logic. The absence of such figures now seemed unusual to her as well.

.....

Within the tower, the very essence of the structure knelt on the ground, clutching his eyes. His entire body trembled as though he had glimpsed something forbidden. The dread that engulfed him was unsettling, but the most terrifying aspect was his attempt to peer into 'Her.'

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

It was an unusual sight to witness a relic of such formidable power, one that possessed its own soul capable of bestowing unimaginable abilities upon people, and yet here it was, kneeling and apologizing to thin air.

Throughout the night, he continued to apologize, uncertain if his contrition would be sufficient. He remained baffled by the lingering existence of 'Her,' and fear gnawed at him.

He dreaded the notion of enduring a torment beyond his imagination, acutely aware of the hierarchical power structure and his own insignificance in her presence.

The following day, he rose from his kneeling position, wiping his face clean. The overwhelming dread in his heart began to subside, and he took solace in the thought that Adrian was now beyond his immediate reach.

As he regained his composure, he couldn't help but contemplate why 'She' had been scrutinizing such a powerless individual like him, one who couldn't even possess cores. The situation was incredibly perplexing, but he chose to keep his thoughts to himself. All he desired was for Adrian to never return.

"Is this cycle going to repeat itself once more? I don't want any part of it. I'm exhausted," the boy muttered, his demeanor starkly different from how he presented himself in front of Emilie and Adrian, seated and hugging his knees in despair.

...…..

"How can he be absent for such an extended period? It just doesn't make any sense."

The red-haired man voiced his concern as he entered the basement. Alaya couldn't help but taste the bitterness in the air. They had been in hiding for the past three months since their attempt to steal the compass.

Oswyn's unwavering determination to bring the culprits responsible for the death of his subordinates to justice had made it impossible for them to escape his pursuit.

Alaya scanned the information and discovered that Oswyn was a 6-cores core bearer from the House of Gentle Tablet. She couldn't fathom why he was present here in the first place, and the fact that Adrian had managed to escape his presence seemed incredibly perplexing to her.

The thought, 'Did he really die?' couldn't help but dominate her mind, as she struggled to imagine how anyone from her group could have escaped alive in his presence.

"Don't dwell on it too much. Even if he is dead, it's in our favor. He had it coming, after all. He killed two of our members, and the compass is lost," 

The red-haired man remarked as he opened a packet of instant noodles for himself.

Observing him remaining so nonchalant, seemingly unconcerned about their failure to obtain the compass, Alaya couldn't help but shake her head. She found herself blaming her own actions for this failure. The red-haired man might not fully comprehend the significance of the compass or its destination, but Alaya knew, and that knowledge fueled her frustration with her own ill fortune.

She had finally obtained a lead on its location after such a long search, and yet, once more, it had slipped through her fingers. Alaya couldn't even escape the city due to the heightened security for core bearers. The circumstances were working against her, leaving her feeling trapped and frustrated.

"What should I do now?" Alaya wondered, her mind filled with uncertainty and the weight of their situation.

A sigh escaped her lips as she sat there, lost in thought, her mind dwelling on nothing in particular.